Investigative journalist turned author, Edwin Black, debuted perhaps his most successful work, "IBM and the Holocaust: The Strategic Alliance between Nazi Germany and America's Most Powerful Corporation" in 2001. The release of this book meant the exposure of 20,000 recovered documents found in the archives of several countries proving computer manufacturing company, IBM's involvement in the holocaust. IBM's guilt is presumed today due to their lack of denial—or failure to respond in any way, for that matter—to the claims made in Black's book.

As of late, recently discovered additional documents outlining IBM president, Thomas J. Watson's exclusive connection to Hitler's motives have been released in Black's latest editions. The company allegedly provided their services through alphabetizing machines, concentration camp codes, and punch cards enabling a code that would aid the gas chambers used to kill imprisoned Jews.

Said punch cards were originally coined Hollerith cards—named after Herman Hollerith, the founder of IBM. Tabulating machines deciphered data imprinted through dots punctured in the cards and initially used to maintain a record of people within the concentration camps before graduating to aiding in the extermination of Jews.

IBM numbers were used to indicate prisoner types such as 3 for homosexual, 8 for Jew, 9 for anti-social, and 12 for Gypsy. IBM numbers were also used to indicate inmate death: 3 symbolized death by natural causes, 4 for execution, 5 for suicide, and 6 for gas chambers.

In response to the "success" Nazis found with the use of IBM's equipment, Hitler recognized Watson with the medal, the Order of the German Eagle with Star in honor of his "extraordinary service by a foreigner to the Third Reich."